Improving curb appeal on real homes

Invest in a pro who can saw off bricks vertically

The unbalanced large, white siding area over the garage can be improved with shorter shutters and new, darker siding.

Photograph by: Suzanne Rowe
, Montreal Gazette

Who's responsible for this Zorro meets Green Acres architecture? These houses are seen in almost all municipalities and some of those regularly end up in my emails submissions. The mix of Spanish inspired arches with a barn-like roof is not a happy marriage. At some point, the base of all the windows most probably coexisted with black wrought-iron cages.

For a real metamorphosis, I strongly suggest to invest in having the bricks professionally sawed vertically on top of the arches. The border bricks will be recuperated for the sides of new rectangular siding surfaces surrounding the windows and the door.

The owners rightly expressed that the large white siding area was unbalanced with the darker left side of the home. Also this light protruding structure mounted over the dark garage door looks like a huge mushroom.

Around both windows in front of the barn-like roof are shutters that are too long and weirdly shaped, raised arches as well as panel bases which were most likely used as a background for the metal grills. Painted or otherwise, these elements will always make the house look awkward and dated. I would definitely remove those. Consequently, this operation will reveal several holes in the surface of the wall. Darker than the colour of the actual door, fresh new siding in a medium to strong sand tone with no pink pigmentation could reface all the old cladding. I chose a stronger beige than the present door so that it will be less contrasting with the brown and red bricks thus creating less fragmented elements on the whole facade.

The foundation and the concrete staircase ought to be painted in the same tint as the new siding in a matte finish.

The windows are in the process of being replaced. Dark brown for these and the new shutters would be a natural choice to echo the recently installed garage door. The cornices and their frontage and the horizontal gutters will adopt the same matte colour. Vertical pipes should reflect the same colour as the wall behind them. in this case it would be rusty.

The front door has the last word by being either very colourful or the darker element on the facade of a house. In this case the latter option is the best. Four bigger and simple glass light fixtures could be added.

A pathway towards the back would be made of smooth concrete slabs. Between the four-inch spacing, a low growing aromatic thyme will fill the void and soften the square beige tiles. The actual swerving cement border of the driveway needs to be straightened.

The shape of our new flower bed will be similar to the existing one. It will be improved by having a more serpentine curve with two more dramatic convex bows broken by one deeper concave loop in the centre. This last one should be close to the left outer corner of the stair- case. To help the process, a water hose could be used to achieve the desired shape. Popsicle sticks along the hose will then be your guide for the removal of the excess lawn. A divider will be of essence to prevent the mixing of the grass with the new vegetation. To camouflage the base of the stairs, a higher evergreen rhododendron paired with a lower variegated bush will take turns in the blossom display.

The composition of the landscape will be defined by light coloured leaves, a few evergreens and pale to bright pink blooms as well as elegant white flowers. Four-inch- high dark brown mulch over the bare soil will help fend off weeds and keep the roots cool. A decorative Malus tree with its spectacular pink to white flowerings and tiny red bronze fruits could furnish the desolate lawn area.

Vegetation (from left to right):

- Syringa (owner's lilacs moved to the sides of house, one in the back)

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